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Friday, 17 May 2013

Gamebook Friday: JG goes to Librogame's Land

A couple of weeks ago I posted a link to an interview I did with Italian gamebook website Librogame's Land.

Today, as promised, I'm posting my original English answers...

INTERVIEW: JONATHAN GREEN

1) You are best known as a Fighting Fantasy gamebook writer - the
last of them, so far. Why did you decide to write a Path to Victory gamebook?

a)Because I was asked by
Black Library.

b)Because I love writing
gamebooks.

c)And because I love the
worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000.

2) What’s the
difference between writing a Fighting Fantasy gamebook and a Path to Victory
one?

Not that much really.
Obviously there is a different combat system and they are set within different
worlds, but other than that I go about planning and writing them in exactly the
same way. That said, Path to Victory books have death paragraphs rather like
Gamebook Adventures following a battle, whereas Fighting Fantasy adventures do
not.

3) Tell us something about the creation of your Path to Victory
gamebooks, Herald of Oblivion and Shadows Over Sylvania! Is there one of
the two that you prefer?

I’m proud of both of them
(I’m proud of everything I’ve had published) but I have to say that I do prefer
Shadows Over Sylvania.

When I was commissioned to write Herald of Oblivion, I was told to set it on a space hulk, featuring
Imperial Fists Space Marines, and to include Dark Eldar, Necrons, Orks and
Tyranids. Although I created the game’s narrative, clearly quite a lot had
already been dictated by Black Library.

Shadows Over
Sylvania was the total opposite. I had already been asked to work up a
proposal for a Khemri-set Warhammer Path to Victory gamebook, but then the Vampire
Counts Warhammer Armies book was released. I read it from cover to cover and an
idea for a completely different adventure formed, the unique selling point
being that the reader would play the part of a vampire for themselves. The
rest, as they say, is history…

4) In both books, the
atmosphere is simply fascinating. It takes the reader into a charming world,
even if they (just like myself) have no knowledge of Warhammer/Warhammer 40K.
What inspired you in their creation? How much freedom did you have in their
setting?

The settings are so richly
developed already that you just have to tap into that and you’re there. As long
as you stay true to the Warhammer worlds, there is a fair amount of freedom.

For example,
I came up with the Seven in Shadows Over
Sylvania and was allowed to set the story in a previously not widely
explored historical period.

5) Personally, I found
Warhammer combat rules a bit complicated for a gamebook. The combat is slower
than ideal, especially when you have to face multiple opponents. Would you make
any changes to the rules, if you could?

The simple answer is I
can’t, so I wouldn’t. Games Workshop are first and foremost a games developer
and so the games side of the Path to Victory gamebooks has to be worked on in
house.

6) What do you see in
the future of this series? It being available only from Black Library’s website
may limit its distribution. Do you think there’s a chance it may become
available from other online shops, so to make it more accessible to worldwide
fans (and a little cheaper, maybe!)?

I’ve heard talk of the
books possibly being released exclusively in Games Workshop stores but I
believe Black Library are holding back on making any decisions, with regards to
the series in general, until they’ve been able to review their sales figures.

7) Last, but not least:
what about your future in Path to Victory? Are you going to deliver a sequel to
your previous books, following Herald of
Oblivions’s steps in the universe, or maybe having us explore some more of
the Old World? Or something entirely new? If so, which setting would you
choose?

Personally, I’ve already
got another two pitches in with the editors – the Khemri/Tomb Kings one and
another 40K adventure – and have ideas for several more. Quite simply, if they
ask me to write more, I will.

There was talk of Herald of Oblivion being the first in a trilogy, but with other
writers writing the subsequent adventures. If you’ve read the book yourself,
you may well be able to guess where the sequel would take place…

ABOUT YOUR OTHER GAMEBOOK PROJECTS

8) Your last Fighting Fantasy gamebook, Night of the Necromancer, came out in 2010, and since then the only
new book published in the series was Blood
of the Zombies, by Ian Livingstone (2012). Do you think the series has
finally come to an end, or will it have a future? And if so, will you have a
role in it, giving us more exciting Fighting Fantasy adventures?

I wouldn’t be surprised if
the future of Fighting Fantasy lies in digital formats. Inkle are producing a
new Sorcery! App, while Tin Man
Games are bringing out four classic FF titles this year alone.

As with the Path to Victory series, if I was asked to
write another Fighting Fantasy gamebook I would jump at the chance.

The brand is far from done. After all, I’ve got my
own history of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks coming out later this year.

9) Some of your old FF
books (Spellbreaker and Curse of the Mummy) have never been
officially published in Italy, but they have been translated (totally
non-profit) by fans. How do you consider these initiatives? Do you think
they could help keep alive the memory of some of the most relevant pieces of
interactive fiction, and enhance their diffusion?

That’s a tricky one. If it
creates a demand for more books which leads to new books being published and
paid for, then all to the good. But I know that app producers suffer from
people pirating their gamebooks which makes it increasingly unlikely more new
content will be produced, considering the current economic climate.

10) Temple of the Spider God was your first
digital gamebook, and it received astonishing reviews! Is there any difference
between writing a paper gamebook and a digital one?

Not really, except that
the apps undergo rigorous testing, which can’t be a bad thing.

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WRITTEN BY JONATHAN GREEN

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Jonathan Green

About Me

I am a freelance writer and editor, well known for my contributions to the Fighting Fantasy range of adventure gamebooks. I have also written for such diverse properties as Sonic the Hedgehog, Doctor Who, Star Wars and Games Workshop's worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000.
I am the creator of the alternative steampunk universe of Pax Britannia, and have written eight novels featuring the debonair dandy adventurer Ulysses Quicksilver.
As well as my fiction work, I have also written a number of non-fiction books including 'Match Wits with the Kids', 'What is Myrrh Anyway? Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas' and 'YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks'.